Draco's Dreams
by storylover18
Summary: Draco Malfoy falls ill and due to a poor mix of potions, he's knocked unconscious for several days. While unconscious, he experiences a series of dreams in which several people try to take care of him to varying degrees of success. Set during Half-Blood Prince. Open-ended, sick!Draco, no slash, canon relationships to books. A wide variety of characters - suggestions welcome!
1. Chapter 1 - Introduction

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Hi everyone! Clearly this isn't the epilogue to **_**Christmas in the Highlands**_** but don't worry, I am working on it and it should be up soon. In the meantime, I've been trying to write a story with a sick Draco for years now and finally came up with an idea that is unlike anything I've ever done before. Read the first chapter and see the note at the bottom for more details – enjoy! **

Draco Malfoy rolled over in his bed and groaned quietly. He had barely opened his eyes before regretting it and he squeezed them tightly shut instantly. He felt sweaty and uncomfortable but at the same time the cold morning air in the dormitory was nipping at his nose and he burrowed further down into the blankets.

What had he done to deserve this? he thought as a harsh cough that made his throat feel like it was on fire forced him to prop himself up with his elbow. He continued coughing and the coughs became deeper and deeper and Draco was almost at the point of wondering if he was going to be sick or suffocate when he managed to get a gulp of fresh air. As he calmed his racing heart, swallowed gingerly, and wiped at his brow – sweat was now pouring off him – he looked around and found the dormitory empty. He wondered what time it was and where Crabbe and Goyle were.

Draco pushed his covers back and his feet had just touched the ground when the door swung open and Professor Snape entered.

"Professor," Draco said quickly. "What time is it?"

"Back into bed, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said briskly. Draco drew his feet back under the covers and asked his question again.

"It's almost nine o'clock in the morning."

Snape reached out his hand to test Draco's temperature but Draco pushed it away.

"Is there a reason no one woke me until now?"

He knew he was ill but it bothered him that people assumed he couldn't decide for himself on whether or not he attended lessons. After all, he had been taking care of himself for five years.

"Yes." Snape said sharply. "According to Mr. Goyle, you were moaning and coughing most of the night. When he informed me of this at breakfast, I told them to let you sleep. Now lie still."

Draco shot a nasty look at his favourite teacher but allowed the hand to rest on his burning forehead.

"I think it goes without saying that you're burning up," Snape said simply.

"No kidding."

Snape raised an eyebrow at his favourite student.

"I'll look past your tone given that you are unwell," he said coolly. "Have you been up to the Hospital Wing yet? I'm assuming you felt ill yesterday as well."

Draco shook his head.

"I don't need to be taken care of like a fusspot," he muttered. "I'll be fine."

"Will be, yes, but you are far from fine now." Snape answered smartly. "However, seeing as you were ignorant enough not to see the Matron before now, I had better fetch her straight away. Given the," Snape's eyebrow went up ever so slightly and the next word out of his mouth was chosen carefully. "Circumstances, you may stay here."

Draco groaned as he buried his head in his pillow.

"Really, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape from the doorway. "There is no need to be so dramatic."

With a swish of his robes, Snape left the dormitory and Draco glared up at the underside of his bed hangings. This was ridiculous; he was sixteen, he didn't need to be taken care of like a child.

A few moments later, all of which Draco brooded through, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape entered the room. It took Madam Pomfrey all of two seconds to have her hand lying on Draco's forehead.

"I don't understand why he isn't in the Hospital Wing, Severus," she said curtly. "He's burning up."

"I hardly think it's necessary," Snape answered coldly. "A few potions and some rest and he'll be as good as new. I'm more than willing to keep an eye on him today."

Madam Pomfrey did not look pleased but turned back to her patient.

"Open your mouth," she instructed, lighting the tip of her wand.

"No."

"Draco." Snape's voice carried through the dorm and with a tremendous sigh, Draco did as he was told. Madam Pomfrey peered into to his mouth, clucking her tongue. She slipped her wand into her apron pocket and felt Malfoy's glands.

"Don't touch me! Your hands are freezing." Malfoy exclaimed, shoving Poppy's hand away and pulling up his blankets as a shiver came over him. Madam Pomfrey ignored this outburst and glanced at Snape.

"Acute tonsillitis," she said. "There's nothing I can do to cure it and potions will only make him comfortable until it passes. He'll be contagious and should be placed in quarantine. I don't fancy an outbreak of strep throat."

"Then it will be just as easy to leave him in his dormitory," Snape said firmly. "We can move the other sixth-year boys to another room until Mr. Malfoy is not contagious which will also ensure that the Hospital Wing can remain fully operable."

Poppy sighed.

"I don't like leaving him here," she said, glancing at Draco and getting a nasty look in return. "But it seems like a reasonable solution. I'll speak with the headmaster and arrange for immunity potions to be administered among the students and staff as a precaution."

Snape nodded.

"Am I correct in assuming you will be active in his care?"

Snape nodded again.

"For the time being, give him a fever reducer," she instructed. "And one for pain – not the strong one, the mild one – and I'll come back after lunch."

Snape nodded for a third time and the Matron glanced at Draco.

"Complete bedrest," she said. "And drink as much water and juice as you can manage."

Draco stared at her blankly and Madam Pomfrey held the stare for a moment before moving towards the door.

"Keep me updated on his progress, Severus."

Snape nodded firmly and the dormitory door closed behind the Matron.

"Sir," Draco said. "Can I please get out of bed? I have work I need to do."

"No." Snape answered. "It can wait. A few days in bed will not cause catastrophic delays."

"But it's the perfect excuse to work on the - "

"I said no." Snape said firmly. "I'll be right back with your potions and when I get back, you had better still be abed."

Again Draco glared at his professor but even he had to admit the last thing he felt like doing was locking himself in the Room of Requirement for hours trying to repair the vanishing cabinet. He felt uncomfortable; his body was aching mercilessly and he barely had enough energy to sit up and argue much less wander around the castle. Draco was nearly asleep when Snape returned with the potions.

"Drink all of it," Snape instructed, handing Malfoy a pale blue potion. Malfoy did as instructed before swallowing the red one in the next vial. As soon as he'd finished the second one, he felt his vision swim in and out of focus.

"Professor," he said weakly. "Professor, this doesn't feel right."

"What doesn't?" Snape asked. He'd been reading the potion labels but when he glanced at Draco concern filled his face.

"Mr. Malfoy?" he asked as Draco sank back onto his pillows, sweat pouring off him again. "Mr. Malfoy, tell me what feels wrong."

"I … don't … know," Draco wheezed. "Dizzy."

With that, Draco's eyes rolled back in his head and he was unconscious.

* * *

Madam Promfrey bent over Draco's motionless form as she ran her wand over the boy.

"It appears to be a reaction to the potions," she said to Snape, who was standing against the wall and still looked concerned.

"Obviously," Snape sneered. "But I can't imagine why. I brewed both potions myself."

"One of the ingredients may have been off," Madam Pomfrey informed the Potions master. "I can remember a case at St. Mungo's where a chap was given the draught of peace but the porcupine quills had been taken from a mortally wounded porcupine. The potion did more harm than good."

"I don't need a lecture, Poppy," Snape informed the Matron. "I am an expert brewer; I know what happens when proper ingredients aren't used."

Snape glanced at Draco.

"I'll check my logs and see when I brewed these potions. If I still have the original ingredients, I'll see if they're spoilt."

He turned to the door but stopped with his hand on the knob.

"He will be alright, I presume?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded.

"He should be," she said. "It will take some time for the potions to clear up before he wakes. I'll move him to the Hospital Wing and monitor his condition until then."

"No," Snape insisted. "He'll still be contagious. I'll stay with him."

Poppy frowned.

"Surely you have your lessons to attend to, Severus."

"No … please." Snape forced the word out. "His mother's a friend and she'd like knowing I was looking after him."

Poppy sighed.

"I suppose it's alright," she said. "But if he's still unconscious tomorrow, I'll be moving him to the Hospital Wing. Alert me to any changes and once he's awake, I want to run a few more spells."

Snape nodded and strode out of the room, the potion bottles clutched tightly in his hands.

**As I said, this is unlike anything I've ever done before. The following chapters will all be relatively short (1000 words or so) depictions of a series of hallucinations/dreams that Draco has while unconscious. In these dreams are going to be various people taking care of him – some expected and some unexpected. I'm very excited to explore characters I very rarely get to write for but I'd also welcome any suggestions! I have no idea how many chapters will come of it which means this is a very open-ended project … perfect for school, as the chapters are short and I can write them when I have a free hour or two during the week. Anyways, please review with comments and suggestions – thank you! **


	2. Chapter 2 - Ginny Weasley

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

**Hey everyone! As is quite evident, here's the first chapter of Draco's dreams with an interesting dynamic between Draco and Ginny. Just a reminder that these are all dream sequences (more explanation at the bottom) and not events actually happening. Enjoy! **

The world was spinning before Draco even opened his eyes and when he finally found the motivation to glance at his watch, he felt like he was going to be sick. He whimpered slightly.

"Oh, stop your moaning," a female voice said in an unsympathetic manner. The voice was familiar but it took Draco a moment to place it.

"Leave me alone, Weasley," Draco groaned. "I feel like rubbish."

He hadn't opened his eyes since looking at the time and therefore could not see the hand descending on his forehead.

"Get _off_ of me," he muttered though he couldn't hide the fact that the hand was much cooler than his skin and therefore held a degree of comfort even if it belonged to Ginny Weasley.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You're even worse than Fred and George," she said, lifting her hands and Draco finally cracked open his eyes enough to glare at her.

"I am not," he spat. "What are you doing here? Does Snape know you're here?"

"How should I know?" Ginny asked with a tone of disgust. Draco found this answer slightly odd and he forced his eyes open further. Once he'd quelled the dizziness from this, he pushed himself up slightly.

"What's going on?" he asked, wincing as his throat threatened to burst open due the intense pain shooting through it. He glanced around the dormitory and saw that all of the beds except for his were gone, as were the other bedside tables and trunks. Even his was the only towel hanging from the hooks by the fireplace.

"Where is the other stuff?"

"No clue." Ginny replied, sitting in the window sill. The dark green water from the Black Lake outside contrasted her ginger hair and made it stand out in an alarmingly jarring manner.

Draco was thoroughly convinced that this was some sort of practical joke being played on him. He threw his covers back and swung his feet to the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny asked, slightly amused.

"To find Professor Snape and alert him that fifth year Gryffindor girl was in the sixth year Slytherin boys' dormitory. With any luck, they'll expel you for this."

Ginny, who wasn't fazed by the threat, simply raised an eyebrow as she watched Malfoy take a few unsteady steps towards the door. By the time he reached it, new sweat beads had formed at the tips of his blonde hair and he was leaning heavily against the wall. Ginny could hear his raspy breathing from where she sat but continued to watch Malfoy. Draco wrapped a hand around the snake-shaped knob and pulled but the door didn't move.

"I must be more ill than I thought," he muttered to himself – somewhat unaware he'd spoken the words aloud – and tried the door again, pulling harder. The door still did not move.

After a painstaking journey back to the bed to pick up his wand from the bedside table, followed by another exhausting trip to the door, Draco pointed his wand at the lock.

"_Alohamora_!"

The door still did not budge and slumping against the wall, Draco glared at Ginny.

"Alright, Weasley, enough is enough. I'm a Prefect."

"Uh-huh."

"Tell me how to open this door at once."

"I know you don't think very highly of me, Draco," Ginny said sarcastically. "But believe me when I tell you that I don't know any other ways of opening doors besides the ones you've already tried."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

Still leaning heavily against the wall, Draco began coughing and he bent double. Ginny's eyebrows moved slightly closer together as Malfoy slid down the wall, still coughing. When he finally got his breath back, Draco let his head fall back. His face was bright pink and tears were leaking out his eyes as a result of the coughing fit.

"You ought to be in bed, Malfoy."

"Shut up."

Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"I don't know why the door won't open," she said. "And I don't know what's going on. I didn't ask to be locked in a room with you but I do know that if anyone were to come in and find you half dead on the floor, it would not end well for me so please get back in bed."

"Your concern is touching." Malfoy sneered but he still didn't bother moving. His bed looked a lot more comfortable than the floor but it was also on the other side of the room. It was easier to stay where he was.

"You really are pathetic," Ginny said with an enormous sigh as she hopped off the window sill. She crossed the room and stopped in front of Draco.

"Come on," she said, holding out her hand. Draco glared at her.

"Stop being a prat and let me help you get back in bed," Ginny snapped. "Before I decide to leave you in a heap on the floor."

"I don't need your help," Draco snapped, deciding that if he was going to get back into bed he would do it without Ginny's help. It took every ounce of strength Draco could muster to get himself into a standing position. He was almost an entire head taller than Ginny and looked down at her as if to prove his point. Ginny didn't look convinced and took a step with Draco as he let go of the wall.

"Stop it." Draco hissed, taking another unsteady step. Ginny did as Draco asked and watched him make it about halfway across the room before he began to sway on his feet.

"I have half a mind to let you fall," Ginny muttered, coming up behind him. "But I don't think even I could stomach watching you crawl pitifully to your bed."

Trying it ignore the stabilizing hand on his shoulder, Malfoy took the last ten steps and fell into his bed exhausted. His eyes closed immediately as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Here," said Ginny and Malfoy opened his eyes again to see a cup of water in her outstretched hand.

Without saying thank you, Draco took it and gulped the water down before handing her the cup again. Ginny determinedly set it on the cabinet before adjusting the bedclothes. Draco swatted at her hand but she was already pulling back by the time he realized what was happening.

"I daresay I've done enough to make sure you won't die," Ginny snapped. "So I suggest you go to sleep."

She retreated to her window sill and Draco, glaring at her the entire time, wrenched the hangings on his bed closed and fell into slumber once more.

**I'll just point out that eventually Draco will realize something is not right with all these people appearing and disappearing. This is particularly important because it will save all the questions each time he 'wakes up' and prevents the chapters from being repetitive. **

**Reviews are always appreciated, thank you! **


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